Fire Shrimp has molted 3 times in about a month.

Is that okay? He hasn't had any other behavioral issues and eats extremely well. He's active, agile, hangs out in his favorite hole in the live rock but is sure to make his way around at least half the day. He's quick to spring into action during feeding time. I just feel like 3 times is a sign if stress but I don't know for sure since I've never had one. He molted today and there was absolutely no change, no maintenance or moving anything.

Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10, Calcium 450, Kh 12, Phosphate .25 (getting a sponge soon), SG 1.023, pH 8.0

Feeding Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flakes and frozen brine.

 

I don't keep saltwater tanks or saltwater shrimp but I know that freshwater shrimp usually just molt when they are growing so maybe he is just growing really fast? I don't know but that is what I would guess.

 

I dont' think you have anything to worry about.

Shrimp will molt as they need to. When I first got my redlines (skunks), they molted around every 10-15 days for the first few months, and now I couldn't tell you the last time they molted.

If it is feeding well, and growing well, the molts will be more frequent. Then as the shrimp matures, the molts will be less frequent.

Keeping up water changes also helps them.

Long story short - I don't think you're seeing anything out of the ordinary

 

Just saw this, thank you! I can't imagine he's sick with how active he is, just got scared there!

 

Well he molted again, didn't eat the next day which was very odd, then got taken over by snails, and died =( I loved him. I have no idea what was happening there.

 

What water are you using to mix your salt with?

 

Well I was using RO/DI from the LFS then switched to a filtered water kiosk at the grocery store that you told me about, molting happened during both at about the same frequency. I'm searching for a RO/DI unit but they're so expensive!

 

It's a lot cheaper than using a Kiosk and will pay off fairly rapidly so take that into consideration.
Is everything to PAR for your chemistry? No sudden changes in any water perimeters? Are you feeding the shrimp all the time? Has the size of the shrimp increased?

 

Parameters are fine and stable, but I mentioned above that he died =) Aside from the molting every couple weeks, his death was very sudden. Like within hours he went from active to dead.

 

Is there something that a fire shrimp may not have liked when all other inverts were happy? Are they sensitive to any things?

 

Could have been from stress and or another factor such as water chemistry that was needed to survive. Take things slow and don't rush is the key factor for any survival rates for new stock. Let me put it this way if you don't mind, the longer that a saltwater tank is establish the better that it goes and has little effects of the bad things that would and could happen during the cycle mode which takes a good 6-12 months to go through. Time is a must for those that can handle it and things go bad for those who rush the proccess. I express this to a lot of people so that everyone will follow the rule of sustainability and that is the whole key that everyone needs to follow. But not all will read this but the people that do that is what I am after. I am not just saying you, please don't get me wrong but this is how things are for most folks. This is a lesson for all who follow this thread. Thank you onery hipster and very sorry for the lost of a shrimp and things will be fine just hang in there.

Stangman